Spray foam polyurethane has become a popular form of building insulation. One such system, SEALECTION 500 spray foam insulation sold by Demilec (USA) LLC, is a semi-rigid thermoset polyurethane foam composed of millions of microscopic cells of which most are open.
The application of the product is done at the job site. To spray the foam to insulate a building according to existing practice, a truck containing the necessary special equipment is driven to the job site. Both a generator and an air compressor are needed. The foam spraying process components include a pair of tanks of reactants that are not mixed until the reactants reach the head of a spray gun at the job site, and a reactor mounted in the truck that controls reactant flow and temperature. An air drier is also mounted in the truck so that air from the air compressor that is used for spraying is as free of humidity as possible. Numerous pumps and heaters are needed, including specialized thermocouples built into the hoses that carry the reactants to the gun while maintaining the required elevated temperature. These components require electric power to operate. Compressed air is also supplied to the breathing system of the gun operator, who carries out the spraying process while wearing a sealed suit.
Box trucks currently in use mount self-powered generator and air compressor units inside the box (truck body) in a room or compartment provided for that purpose, occupying 3 to 4 feet of the box in the lengthwise direction. The other components needed to carry out the foam spraying process must then be placed in the remainder of the box, which needs to be larger for that purpose, or else carried on a trailer. There exists a need for a truck that does not require large portions of its box space to be taken up by systems necessary for the application of spray foam polyurethane. This invention addresses that need by permitting the use of a smaller truck and box, since all the components are mounted on the outside of the box except for the control unit. This allows for a more compact installation with a larger generator and air compressor.